It's been a long road for Senior Aiden Bryant. The best combined jumper of 2025, he's been in injury recovery mode for most of 2026. The past two weeks, he's been putting it all back together, and that culminated with a huge effort at last night's Section 5 State Qualifier.
He opened his effort with a 49-3.5 in the first round, all but securing his spot on the bus to States. Free from pressure, his next effort was a foul. One final attempt in the first round, and he connected the board with a 51-5.5 foot effort.
That alone constituted a lifetime best, bettering his Outdoor PR from last year by 3 inches, and more than a foot over his SB and PB from his Indoor Season. A week ago, at Sectionals, he announced his return with a 50-0.5 mark. But this effort at State Quals left the door open for history.
The Indoor State Record was set by Ronel Forde (Shaker) at 51-6, a decade ago at the Armory. It was a three-foot personal best at the time, and Forde never cleared 50-feet again. But the mark was legitimate, verified on camera, and carried the event for the last ten years.
Bryant was now half an inch under.
Knowing he had qualified already, and the Long Jump was coming later, Bryant passed his next two attempts. He was still building up his season, so he was on a 6-step approach (the typical would be seven, with some professionals moving it out to 8). In a full sprint, he hit the board perfectly, connecting on an incredible 51-10 performance.
The mark breaks the State Record. It also moves him to US-9 All-Time for the event. It's been a strong year for the event, as the National Record went down in late January, meaning this effort is US-2 for this year. It betters the prior US-2 by a quarter inch, meaning the National Meets will be hotly contested.
It also provides a strong target for the full comeback.
It's been a long road for Senior Aiden Bryant. The best combined jumper of 2025, he's been in injury recovery mode for most of 2026. The past two weeks, he's been putting it all back together, and that culminated with a huge effort at last night's Section 5 State Qualifier.
He opened his effort with a 49-3.5 in the first round, all but securing his spot on the bus to States. Free from pressure, his next effort was a foul. One final attempt in the first round, and he connected the board with a 51-5.5 foot effort.
